Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Book: “Wicked Plants” by Amy Stewart

The full title of this book is “Wicked Plants: The Weed That
Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities.” Intrigued? I sure
was. I first saw this book in the gift shop at Longwood Gardens. I just had to
pick it up and look at it. If the title isn’t enough to suck you in, the
delicately beautiful copper etchings by Briony Morrow-Cribbs and the quirky
drawings of Jonathon Rosen will win you over. Look, even my cat, Molly, looks intrigued. Or maybe she’s frightened...

This encyclopedia-ish book describes various “wicked”
plants, from the naughty to the downright sinister, combined with stories of
unfortunate victims who fell prey to these diabolical plants. Poisonous,
painful, intoxicating, invasive, illegal and deadly – they’re all here. If you
are reading to find out exactly what plant killed Lincoln’s mother, prepare
yourself to read most of it before finding out. No, I won’t give it away. No
worries, though, this roughly 5” x 7” 233-page book reads quickly. I’m afraid
it isn’t exactly good bedtime reading, though. I found myself only able to read
two or three of the small “chapters” each night due to some of the gruesome
descriptions of what ingesting or touching these plants can do to an unwitting
victim. You could possibly develop a phobia of tropical places where some of
these treacherous plants may lurk. Heck, you might not want to even brush up
against a plant next time you take a hike in the woods. Better yet, this book
may in fact make you afraid to plant anything in your yard ever again. Not even
the innocent-looking lily of the valley is free from inflicting some nasty
effects, such as headaches, nausea, cardiac problems, and even heart failure –
if you eat it, that is.

I did find some solace in knowing that I wasn’t the only one
who found out about Poison Sumac the hard way. Pioneering landscape designer
extraordinaire Frederick Law Olmstead happened upon a patch and his face got so
swollen he couldn’t open his eyes. He had eyesight problems for a few years
after that, but it didn’t deter him from designing some world-famous parks,
estates, and university campuses. In my case, when I was a teenager I fell into
Poison Sumac while playing flashlight tag with some friends. My younger sister
and I ducked into some bushes for cover and we found ourselves tumbling down a
hillside of Sumac. Lucky for me, I landed on top of my sister. Unlucky for her,
she got the worst of the Sumac while I only had it on my arms. If you’ve never
heard of it, it’s very similar to Poison Ivy and just as itchy and
uncomfortable.

A plant of particularly invasive and destructive nature is
the Killer Algae. This algae was first noticed in an aquarium in Germany.
Usually algae can’t live in colder temperatures, but this one was thriving. The
algae ended up at the Jacques Cousteau Oceanographic Museum in Monaco where it
supposedly was accidentally released when a worker was cleaning out an aquarium
and dumped the waste into the ocean. That’s all it took. This algae now covers
thirty thousand acres under the ocean, choking out all other aquatic life. Amy
Stewart tells us that the Killer Algae is the “world’s largest – and most
dangerous – single-cell organism.” It gets its name “Killer Algae” because it
contains a toxin that poisons fish. In fact, this is what keeps fish from
eating the plant and contributes to its widespread growth. It is one of the
ultimate self-preserving organisms because not only is it toxic, it also can
reproduce through propagation. If one small bit of the plant gets chopped off
it can take root and form a new plant. It’s like the Terminator of the plant
world: “That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be
reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely
will not stop, ever, until you are dead.” Or at least until the fish and
aquatic plants are dead.

In the category of intoxicating, is Ergot. Ergot isn’t
exactly a plant, though, it’s a parasitic fungus that attaches itself to
grasses like rye and wheat. It can be accidentally harvested along with the
cereal and bread crops. It can infect anyone who eats it, causing seizures,
nausea, gangrene and more – even death. Ergotism is rare today, however,
“hysteria, hallucinations, and a feeling that something is crawling on the skin
are all signs of ergot poisoning,” says Ms. Stewart. The drug LSD comes from an
acid found in Ergot. It is thought that this fungus could be the cause of the
bizarre behavior of the young girls of the Salem witch trials.

“Wicked Plants” was an interesting read, that happened to
also make my skin crawl from time to time – or maybe I have Ergot poisoning.
It’s amazing what the wrong plant can do to a person. Maybe it’s not that old
chemical spill or mass hysteria that’s making those school girls in upstate New
York have Tourette-like symptoms, maybe it’s actually some sort of accidental
plant poisoning. You never know… just throwing it out there.

There’s another book by Amy Stewart with more of Briony
Morrow-Cribbs’ etchings called “Wicked Bugs: The Louse That Conquered
Napoleon’s Army & Other Diabolical Insects.” Even though this doesn’t sound
like relaxing bedtime reading, I may have to check it out anyway. It will most
likely make me squeamish and have me checking for bed bugs every night.

Ok, I can’t resist one last picture of Molly posing with the book...

Even Molly agrees, this book is seriously “wicked.”
Not as wicked as her claws, though. Check out those talons!

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About Me

I'm a graphic designer who happens to love to garden. This is my garden journal. I am not a gardening expert, just an addict. What I learn comes from books and classes I take. I garden in zone 7A on a property that is less than a quarter of an acre. I've been gardening on this property since 2005.